“Try Trades” expo for students seeking high-demand trade jobs
BIG FLATS, N.Y. (WETM) – The second annual ‘Try Trades” expo was held at the Big Flats Municipal Campus on Thursday. The event offers high-school student hands-on experience in skilled trade jobs that are in high demand, like carpentry, welding, electrical and heavy machinery.
“I got to drive a loader, operate the loader, it was very cool, I liked it a lot,” said Watkins Glen 8th Grader Isaac Rumsey.
“Personally, I like working on cars, but I also like heavy equipment,” said a female student from Avoca. “I went in and saw a whole bunch of heavy equipment. I learned about what my grandfather used to do, so that was pretty cool.”
More than 35 local businesses and groups held interactive exhibits. The event drew more than 500 students from 22 school districts in New York and Pennsylvania.
“How would you describe the current industry of these trades?” reporter Nick Dubina asked Susan Pawlak, the Executive Director of the Career Development Council.
“Not only in our local area, but nationally, we know the skilled trades are important for our infrastructure and for our nation,” Pawlak said. “So we need young people to know this is a career option. Some right out of high school, for some with advanced training, can have great opportunities for their future.”
Gary Harvey is a Compliance Specialist and Recruiter for the New York State Department of Transportation.
“We’re looking at electrical, we’re looking at carpentry, we’re looking at heavy equipment, and we’re looking at masonry. All those trades are in heavy demand,” Harvey said. “We have a retiring workforce with the baby boomers. As such, we are looking to fill these positions with a younger generation.”
Dylan Paggio is a Junior at Thomas Edison High School.
“Some kids can’t really learn in classrooms, it’s hard for them. Like me, I can’t sit still in a classroom,” said Paggio. “I learn a lot easier with hands-on stuff. Working my way through, I think it’s a lot easier.”
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Paggio’s classmate Melakih Nevonekachuroi agreed hands-on learning is preferable for some students.
“I like a lot of the hands-on things,” said Nevonekachuro. “A lot of kids, instead of being told what to do, being hands-on it helps them a lot more. It inspires them to actually go and do the things if they’ve had experience beforehand.”
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“I think I want to go into the trucking industry,” said 8th grader Jonathan Jones from Watkins Glen.
The New York State Department of Labor says average salaries for trade jobs in the Southern Tier can range from $40,000 to above $80,000.
“How important is that hands-on experience?”
“It’s invaluable,” said Harvey. “By them having the opportunity to experiment with what we do, it’s letting them get the feel that they can do this. It’s letting them know that it’s not difficult to do. It just requires a little bit of training. It doesn’t require a lot of education. So, they can actually come out of high school and get the experience with our training programs. They can feel comfortable that they’ll have all the expertise they need to be a DOT employee or to work in any professional trade.”
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